The Asteroid Belt
by AntaresTheEighthPleiade
Summary: One-shots focusing on the family relationship between J'onn and Alex (and Kara too, of course). Chapter 1: Daddy's Girl. A rumor goes slightly out of control. Chapter 2: Moment. J'onn saves Alex in 1X16. Chapter 3: Spitfire. A teenaged Alex goes through her first kidnapping.
1. Daddy's Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl or Alex or J'onn. If you recognize it, I don't own it. Please don't sue.

* * *

Daddy's Girl

 _Day 1_

"So who's the hot chick with the big scary needle?"

Agent Aaron Chin followed the new guy's gaze. He grimaced. "That's Alex Danvers."

"She single?" asked the poor naïve noob.

Aaron and Melony winced simultaneously as they remembered what happened last time a DEO agent had displayed interest in Alex Danvers. "Technically yes, but she's sort of off-limits."

Newbie (no, his name was Dave, Aaron reminded himself. At least he thought it was Dave. Names weren't his strong suit) frowned. "Why?"

"Henshaw," Melony proclaimed, in her best tone of portentous doom.

"…Oooookay."

Melony was not good at explanations, so Aaron took over for her. "What my lovely wife means to tell you is that Alex Danvers is Hank Henshaw's baby girl. His pride and joy. The apple of his eye. His sweet and precious darling."

Dave looked at Alex, then at Hank, then back at Alex again. "So I guess she takes after her mother?"

"Um…."

Aaron knew exactly what he should do. He should explain that the two agents weren't actually related, that Alex was more 'daughter he never had' than 'actual biological offspring.' He should clear up the misunderstanding before it went too far.

"Yes. Yes, she does take after her mother."

Melony raised an eyebrow.

"So why's her name Danvers and not Henshaw?" Dave wondered.

In for a penny, in for a pound. "I'm not a hundred percent sure of the details, but from what I've heard, Alex's mom never actually married him," Aaron improvised. "So she ended up with her mom's name along with her mom's looks. But she inherited other things, like his obsession with Oreos and his affinity with dangerous weapons."

"Genetics are weird," Dave proclaimed. "I had a roommate once who looked like a temporally displaced Viking, but his mom was this cute little Vietnamese lady like two feet shorter than him." He nodded sagely. "So where to next?"

"The armory," Aaron told him.

"Cool."

Dave's tour took up the rest of the morning, so it wasn't until lunch that Melony could confront her husband. "Takes after her mother, huh?"

Aaron grinned. "It's not like it's going to last," he pointed out. "He'll figure it out within a week. Besides, you could have stopped me whenever you wanted."

Melony's lips twitched. "Okay, yeah. Probably."

"If he still thinks they're related by the end of the week, I'll take you to Paradiso for the Sunday night special," Aaron said.

"It's a bet."

* * *

 _Day 3_

"That makes so much sense!" Hilda exclaimed.

"I know, right?" agreed Esperanza. "It explains everything."

"So you didn't know?" Dave asked, surprised.

"Well, no, but now that I see it, it's just so obvious."

Kelly nodded. "Kind of embarrassing, really."

"In our defense, I don't think she's ever actually called him 'Dad,'" Esperanza pointed out.

"I suppose they have to follow the line of command," Kelly speculated.

"Or maybe she's got a stepdad she calls 'Dad,'" Dave suggested. "Aaron said that Henshaw and Alex's mom never married. Maybe she tied the knot with someone else."

"Do you think she knows?" Hilda asked, suddenly horrified. "That he's her real dad, I mean. Like what if she thinks that her hypothetical stepdad is the real deal or her mother completely refused to give her any information or something?"

Kelly shuddered. "I hope not, because can you imagine how hard that would be for Henshaw?"

"It would be awful," Esperanza agreed.

"Do you think we should tell her?" Dave asked, concerned.

"No!" Hilda exclaimed. "Because we don't know if she knows, and if she doesn't know, we'll be dropping this huge A-bomb on her family life and it'll just be really messy."

"But doesn't she have the right to know?"

"We should talk to Henshaw instead," Kelly decided. "Where is he?"

"Today's his day off."

"Okay. Tomorrow, then?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

 _Day 4_

The man known to most people as Hank Henshaw stared at his employees with a rather gobsmacked expression. "I'm sorry, but I think I misheard. What did you say?"

"We asked if Alex knows she's your daughter," Kelly repeated helpfully.

"Um, no," was the slightly faint response, "because she's—"

"You should tell her," Esperanza interrupted.

"She's not."

Kelly and Esperanza stared at him in silent disbelief.

"I'm sorry, sir, but do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Esperanza finally asked.

"Well, considering that we look nothing alike, I've never met her mother, we have different surnames, and she takes after Jeremiah Danvers, then yes, I do expect you to believe me."

(Also, he was a Martian, but it wasn't like he could just explain that.)

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yes."

Neither woman looked particularly convinced, but they dropped the subject to return to work. When they were just barely out of human earshot, Kelly said, "I bet he's pretending she's not his daughter because that would make her a target for the aliens."

"Makes sense to me," Esperanza proclaimed.

J'onn sighed. He was not paid enough for this.

* * *

 _Day 7_

"This is Paradiso's Authentic Mexican Cuisine, Lola speaking. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like to make reservations under the name of Aaron Chin..."

* * *

 _Day 18_

"Is it just me, or have the other agents been acting really weird lately?"

"How so?"

"Well, whenever I pass them in the hallway, they stop to stare at me. Then, when I'm gone, they start whispering." Alex scowled. "Of course, they shut up and deny everything whenever I try to double back."

Hank groaned. "You too?"

"Yeah. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Her boss closed his eyes, rested his face in his hands. He wore the long-suffering expression that Alex had last seen when the R&D guys tried to set aside part of their budget to create hoverboards. "For some reason, there's a rumor going around that I'm secretly your father."

Alex waited for the punchline. When it didn't come, she asked, "Wait, what?"

"I know."

"But… we don't look anything alike."

"We don't."

"We have different names."

"That we do."

"I don't think that you've ever actually met my mother."

"I haven't."

"So why…?"

"Beats me."

Alex shook her head in silent disbelief.

"I'm trying to ignore them," Hank sighed. "Hopefully they'll forget about it in a few days."

Alex mulled that over for a moment before deciding that yes, that might just be the best course of action. "Sounds like a plan… Dad."

"I KNEW IT!" yelled a female voice. Alex and Hank spun around to see the retreating back of… oh no. _Oh no_.

"Please tell me that wasn't Kelly Savishinsky."

"I wish I could."

Kelly was one of the, if not the, biggest gossips in the entire agency. By tomorrow, she'd ensure that every last agent (and janitor, and probably prisoner too) knew that Alex had called Hank 'Dad.'

(Actually, it only took her a few hours.)

"Great," Alex moaned, "we're doomed."

Hank simply nodded. "That we are."

* * *

 _Day 39_

J'onn allowed himself one day off per week, which he mostly used for cleaning his apartment and purchasing groceries before binging on cheesy old sci-fi. Today, though….

He had never been so glad for that bizarrely persistent rumor about him and Alex.

"How is she?" he demanded, striding into the med bay.

"Sleeping," Dr. Ontega said. "She required a blood transfusion" (and didn't that make his heart stop!) "but we sewed up the wound and put her on painkillers, but that's more so she won't try to escape bed rest and tear up her stitches. She's going to be fine, sir." He hesitated for a long moment, then laid a hand on his boss's shoulder. "I promise you that your daughter will make it."

"She's not actually my daughter," J'onn sighed.

"I'm adopted," Ontega said, "and I have two adopted children of my own." He smiled. "Which is why I don't get so uptight about non-biological family spending excessive time in my medical wing."

J'onn looked at Alex, sleeping peacefully despite her wan complexion. "Thank you," he said, very quietly.

"You're welcome."

The doctor left soon, but J'onn remained. He fell asleep holding Alex's hand.

* * *

 _Day 89_

"Hey, Aaron, remember a few weeks back when you started that rumor about Danvers and Henshaw?"

"How could I forget?" Aaron groaned. "Now everyone in the DEO believes it. Other than them and us, I mean."

"Actually…." Melony shifted a bit uneasily. "I'm sort of starting to think that you might have accidentally stumbled onto something."

"Huh?"

"I know you just meant that father-daughter thing as a joke, but it actually makes so much sense. Just think about it for a minute."

Aaron just goggled at her.

Melony sighed and brought out the big guns. "Aaron, honey, he lets her eat from his _private_ Oreo stash."

Aaron sat down, hard, his jaw completely slack. Clearly, his mind had just been blown.

"You alright?" Melony asked, concerned.

"You're certain he lets her…?"

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Aaron shook his head in disbelief. "Then you're—um, I'm—right. She really is his daughter."

Melony nodded. "There is no other explanation."

* * *

 _Day 117_

"Um, sir? It's been months and the rumors are stronger than ever. Can we maybe do something about it?"

"Like what?" Hank rubbed his brow as if to stave off a headache. "I've already tried reasoning with them."

"And I brought in baby pictures, and pictures of my dad, and my freaking birth certificate." Alex rubbed at her brow in the gesture she'd picked up from her boss. "Maybe a paternity test?"

"I am not getting a paternity test."

* * *

 _Day 136, morning_

Darshal held the human by the throat, ignoring how she kicked viciously at his chest. His was a species with very thick skin and very few pain receptors. "HENSHAW!" he roared, waving the human around a little bit. "RELEASE MY BROTHER PRISONERS, OR I WILL SNAP YOUR DAUGHTER'S NECK!"

The human stopped kicking, stared at him with something like shocked horror on her face. Clearly she hadn't expected the news of her paternity to spread through the ranks of the prisoners. Darshal smirked at her, revealing his broad flat teeth. "That's right, human girl. I know your secret. We all do!"

The expression of horror deepened. "Wait. So _all_ the prisoners think Hank's my dad?"

"You can't fool me!" Darshal proclaimed. "I know, human girl. _We all know_."

Alex just groaned. "Oh, _come on_!"

* * *

 _Day 136, afternoon_

Darshal came to slowly. "What happened?' he groaned.

Hotar, the Thanagarian from the cell next down, shrugged. "You tried to escape, saying you would come back for me and the others once you had enacted your plan. Henshaw's daughter brought you back approximately one human hour ago."

"Ah." Darshal remembered now. "A word of advice, old friend: never, ever threaten Alex Danvers. Her father does not appreciate it." He rubbed at his now-broken nose. "Neither does she."

The Thanagarian nodded sagely. "Clearly, battle prowess runs in the family."

* * *

 _Day 136, evening_

Frank didn't get many visitors, especially not visitors like this one. He looked like a cop. Had Frank done anything illegal lately? He didn't think so, but then, most cops seemed to think that all homeless people looked the same.

"What d'you want?" he growled, glaring at the cop, because no cop would come to his bench at this hour of the night unless he wanted something.

"I'll pay you a hundred dollars for a cheek swab."

"Huh?"

"A cheek swab," the copper repeated. "It's a form of DNA sample."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "And what d'you need it for?"

The cop closed his eyes, a long-suffering look on his face. "Paternity test."

* * *

 _Day 143_

The intercom buzzed to life.

"This is Director Henshaw speaking. Due to ridiculously persistent yet utterly baseless rumors, Agent Alex Danvers and I have undergone a paternity test. The negative results are posted on the notice board for your perusal. Please stop spreading these unfounded rumors, and for Pete's sake don't talk about it where the prisoners can hear."

The intercom fell silent.

Hank smiled, turned to Alex. "That ought to do it."

"We can only hope."

* * *

 _Day 146_

"Um, why is there a paternity test on the notice board?" the new girl asked.

Aaron waved a dismissive hand. "Just ignore it. Everybody knows it's fake."

Across the room, Alex buried her face in her hands.

* * *

 _Day 228_

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yes, Julia?"

The older woman looked a bit embarrassed. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

Alex shrugged. "I suppose it depends on what the favor is."

"True," Julia acknowledged.

"So what do you need?"

"I'm having some problems with those idiots in R&D, and I was wondering if you'd help me pitch my case to your dad."

Alex closed her eyes and counted to ten. It did not make her any less frustrated. "He's not my dad, Julia." But her voice was tired, almost resigned, because if half a year and a freaking paternity test weren't enough to convince people, this probably wouldn't either. Still, Alex was too stubborn not to try.

"Riiiiight," Julia said. "But will you?"

Alex sighed again. "Sure."

* * *

 _Day 241_

"So, Alex, what are you and Director Henshaw doing for Father's Day?"

"Hunting down and killing all the agents who still think, despite _everything_ , that he's my dad. Why do you ask?"

* * *

 _Day 337_

Now that Kara was kind of sort of a part of the DEO, Alex had to hold a very awkward conversation with her. Like most awkward conversations, it would probably go down better with a little bit of alcohol. Just one glass, though, because she really couldn't get too tipsy. So, now that her vocal cords had been properly lubricated, what was the best way to…?

"Half of the DEO thinks that Director Henshaw is secretly my father."

"Huh?" Kara asked, looking up from her pot stickers.

"Half of the DEO thinks that Director Henshaw is secretly my father," Alex repeated. Kara was looking at her funny, so she continued, "No this is not a joke. They really, truly think that he contributed half of my DNA."

"But…."

"I know." Alex sighed heavily.

"You think I could tell them otherwise?" Kara asked. "I mean, we did grow up together."

"You can try, but I really doubt they'll believe you."

Kara grinned. "No, I can convince them."

"I very much doubt that."

"Why so little faith?"

"Because you don't know the DEO like I do. Trust me. They won't believe you."

* * *

 _Day 338_

"They didn't believe me," Kara said.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I told you so."

* * *

 _Day 357_

"Hey, Hank, I just had an idea. It's kind of a long shot, but I'm willing to try anything at this point."

"What kind of idea?"

"Do you think that if we testified under oath and had Kara testify under oath, and, I don't know, the paternity test people too… do you think that would convince anyone I'm not your daughter?"

"Alex," Henshaw replied, "I'm hoping that this entire ridiculous rumor is an elaborate practical joke that will go away if we just ignore it. I don't think that testifying under oath or notarizing your baby pictures or whatever will have any effect if they're determined to troll us."

"Notarized baby pictures?" she repeated, looking thoughtful. "You know, when I was really little, we used to have a neighbor who was a lawyer…."

"No, Alex. You'll only encourage them."

She sighed. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

 _Day 360_

"You want me to notarize your…."

"Yeah."

"But why—?"

"Desperation."

* * *

 _Day 394_

"Um, Alex?" Winn said softly. "There's something else that I didn't feel comfortable telling you around Kara."

"What is it?" she asked, face halfway between dread and curiosity.

Winn fidgeted. Issues like this always made him uncomfortable. "While I was looking through the DEO database for information about Jeremiah, I found out—well—"

"Well, what?"

Winn looked away. "It appears that Jeremiah Danvers is not your actual biological dad. Henshaw is."

Silence, pure and total. It lasted for a long time before Winn dared look at her, take in her expression of steadily growing rage. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, feeling very inadequate.

"He is not my father."

Winn nodded, because he knew how that felt. "Yeah. You know what they say, right, about how it's the guy who raised you and loved—"

"That rumor," Alex hissed, "has been haunting us for the last year. Everyone in the DEO believes it. The alien prisoners believe it! General Lane's soldiers probably believe it! And now you're telling me that _it's in the computer system?"_

"Um, yes?"

"Hank's right," she decided. She was starting to pace now, which Winn doubted was a good thing. "This has to be some sort of elaborate practical joke. There is no other explanation. I bet those hoverboard-obsessed morons in R and D laughed themselves silly when they put that stupid, stupid, stupid rumor onto the computer system."

Winn began to back away.

"One day," Alex vowed, "one beautiful glorious day, I'm going to find out who started it and _feed him to the aliens_."

Winn fled.

* * *

 _Day 399_

The really sad thing was, if the DEO knew who and what 'Hank' really was, they'd probably still think he was her dad.

They were stubborn like that.

* * *

 _Day 401_

"Don't worry, Director Danvers." Esperanza laid a hand on Alex's shoulders. "We'll get your dad back."

Alex was not in the mood to fight a losing battle, so she didn't protest the appellation. "I know we will."

* * *

 _Day 402_

"Where did you even get that presidential order, anyways?" Kara demanded, glaring at General Lane. "Are you blackmailing him or something?"

General Lane glared back. "I got the order in part because our president doesn't believe in nepotism."

Alex froze. "Nepotism?" she asked, in a tone of mounting dread. She could not have looked more disbelievingly horrified if she'd been impaled by a chopstick.

"Nepotism," Lane confirmed. "The president rightly believes that in this time of crisis, the DEO will need a leader with more qualifications than 'Hank Henshaw's daughter.'"

"The president said that. The president explicitly stated that I only got the job of acting director because I'm Hank's daughter."

"Yes," was the clipped response. "Now if you'll excuse me, _Agent_ Danvers, I have work to do." And with that, he stomped away.

Alex buried her face in her hands. " _Why why why why why…?_ "

* * *

 _Day 408_

"Hey, Ha—um, J'onn."

"Yes, Alex?"

"How did you manage to pass the paternity test without anybody noticing you're a Martian?"

"I paid some homeless guy a hundred bucks in return for a cheek swab."

"Ah." Alex nodded.

Kara gawked at them with an open mouth. "You guys had a paternity test?"

* * *

 _Day 462_

J'onn had put the White Martian into an isolation cell, far from other prisoners, and given orders that only a select few (namely himself and Alex) could interact with him, because the blasted thing knew what he was and he couldn't afford exposure. The captive hadn't had any opportunity to hear that blasted rumor. Yet here he was, raving and threatening 'your half-human mongrel daughter' with all sorts of bodily harm.

Even Martians need to breathe, and when the white one paused for breath, the green one growled, "Touch Alex and I'll throw you into the sun."

The White Martian opened his mouth.

J'onn glared, murder in his gaze.

The White Martian shut up.

* * *

 _Day 466, afternoon_

James Olsen stared incredulously at the sight before him. He had to blink a couple of times, it was just that unexpected.

When he returned to the isolation room where they were keeping Kara, he made a beeline for Director Henshaw. "Um, sir, why exactly is there a paternity test on the bulletin board?"

Henshaw's right eye gave a little tic.

"I was wondering that myself," Maxwell Lord said from across the room.

The director ground his teeth. "Don't. Ask."

* * *

 _Day 466, evening_

"So, Alex, why _was_ there a paternity test on the bulletin board?"

The agent sighed. "About a year ago, some unidentified bastard started spreading rumors that I'm Hank's secret lovechild. It got… kind of out of hand, and now everyone believes it."

"It's true," Kara confirmed. "Every single agent, General Lane and his cronies, the prisoners, the President of the United States…."

Winn and James burst out laughing.

The Danvers sisters did not.

"Um, guys?" said Kara. "That wasn't a joke."

* * *

 _Day 497_

If the word 'adorable' could be applied to two professional government badasses, then J'onn and Alex really were adorable together: him fussing over her wounds, her insisting that it was just a scratch, really, and she could totally go go back into the field. They even sort of looked alike, with identical expressions of pigheaded obstinacy.

"You are not fine, Alex."

"Yes I am."

J'onn folded his arms. "You're dripping blood onto the floor."

(Okay, maybe 'adorable' wasn't the best word for the situation. Then again….)

"It's already clotted—"

"Go to the med bay, Alex, and if you come out before you've been properly treated, I'll ground you from field missions for a week."

"That's not fair!" the younger agent protested.

"Do I need to make it two weeks?"

Alex scowled. "Fine," she huffed, stalking off in the general direction of the med bay.

Kara shook her head in mild disbelief. "And yet they wonder why everyone thinks he's secretly her dad…."

She had said it under her breath, to herself rather than anyone else. Naturally, this meant that she was overheard by one of the many agents scurrying around the DEO. Dave, if she recalled correctly.

Dave stared at her with wide, shocked eyes, looking rather like a child learning that Santa wasn't real. "You mean he's _not_?"

Kara blinked at him for several moments before she could formulate her response. "Well, he can't secretly be her dad if everybody knows, right?"

Dave grinned, embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess. You know, Supergirl, for a moment there I almost thought you meant that they weren't family when any idiot can see they are."

Kara smiled back. "Yes, they are."

* * *

I doubt that Alex will appreciate Kara's capitulation. Hopefully she'll never find out.

Fluffy family prompts welcome! I don't know if I'll do them all or how long they'll take, but I'll at least think about it.

-Antares


	2. Moment

Moment

Alex is in danger.

Time slows then, freezing like a photograph. The corrupted version of Kara is hovering before Alex and oozing malevolence and he knows, _knows_ that Alex will die if he doesn't save her.

(It would ruin Kara too, but then and there he is more concerned about the elder Danvers sister.)

And there in the space between seconds he acknowledges what is about to happen, what he is about to do, what the consequences will be, but he's already pushing himself to his feet, red light dancing over his skin as he sheds the life he has lived for eleven years—

(Years of fear and caution undone in a heartbeat, because he is going to save Alex no matter what the cost. The idea of not saving her never crosses his mind.)

-and Hank Henshaw dies again as the transformation is complete, and J'onn J'onzz sprints into the light.

* * *

Because _holy feels_ , that scene!


	3. Spitfire

Spitfire

If she escaped this alive, Alex was so going to take a self-defense class. Or ten. Or as many as she could find, because if one group could find out about her parents' research (just Mom's research, now, she remembered with a pang) on Superman and kidnap her because of it, then other groups could find out too. And then there was the possibility of people finding out about Kara, which was certain to make Mom sign her up for classes.

Kidnapper #4 had collapsed under her onslaught, clasping desperately at his balls as his eyes watered in pain. Alex kicked him in the head once, twice, three times, and he was out cold.

The teenager allowed herself a brief smile as she dropped to her knees besides the unconscious #4. There. That's where she'd seen him put his phone, there in that pocket. With shaking hands (funny, she hadn't noticed they were trembling before) she pulled it out, dialed 911.

Some of the other kidnappers—probably #2 and #5—had figured out that something was wrong. They were pounding on the bathroom door, cursing when they realized that it was locked. Alex didn't doubt that they would get in soon, because surely a bunch of kidnappers would know how to pick locks.

"Nine-one-one, what is—"

"I need the police because I've been kidnapped and I need them to triangulate this phone's signal before they kill me."

"I'm alerting them. Do you know where you are?" the operator demanded.

"No!" To her horror, Alex felt her eyes begin to water. "That's why they need to do that triangulation thing!"

"That takes a lot longer than it does on TV," the operator said. The bottom fell out of Alex's stomach, because that's what her desperate, terrified plan had been based on. She nearly dropped the phone in her horror. "Did you see any landmarks, any logos or anything!"

"I was unconscious!" the teenager cried. Her breathing was speeding up, and she felt the beginnings of a panic attack, but she forced herself to hold her breath. She couldn't panic. She had to think.

When she'd woken up tied to a chair surrounded by Kidnappers #1-8, Alex had taken in her surroundings. "I'm—I'm in a warehouse somewhere. There's lots of boxes, but they're all dusty and there wasn't any writing—"

Someone slammed against the door. It bent under the force of the impact. Definitely Kidnapper #5—he was huge.

Alex forced herself to continue. "There's only one bathroom. That's where I am. I told Number Four I had to go and he walked me here and I locked us both in and stole his phone to talk to you."

"The police are going through blueprints as we speak," the operator assured her. "Just—keep talking, okay, kid?"

"Alex," she whispered, "my name's Alex Danvers, and they're going to—"

 _Crash._

Alex shuddered. "They're gonna break down the door," she whispered. "I—I have to fight."

She dropped the phone, ignoring the operator's shouts for more information. Kidnapper #4 had a gun on him. Alex had never so much as touched a gun in her life, but it couldn't be that difficult, right? Aim at the bad guys (who also had guns, but let's not think about that) and pull the trigger. Swallowing hard, her entire body rigid, Alex aimed the business end of #4's weapon at the door.

Something crashed on the other side, followed by the sound of a hundred falling boxes. A gun fired one, two… six times. A male voice bellowed in pain. Then two more voices were shouting, their tones full of terror.

 _Crash._

 _Ka-thunk-thunk-thunk._

 _Screeeeeeeech._

More gunfire.

More shouts.

And Alex was breathing a bit easier now, because someone was fighting them and that meant that people knew where she was, and that meant that she was safe.

Well, safer. Probably.

Was it Superman? Maybe Mom and Kara had gotten ahold of him and he'd shown up to kick ass and take names.

Still, just in case it wasn't Superman, Alex held onto the gun. It made her feel almost safe.

"Alex?" the operator yelled.

Without taking her eyes off the door, Alex inched back towards the phone. "Someone's out there," she called. "There's a fight. Did the police…?"

"No."

The seconds trickled by. Alex told the operator everything she'd seen about the warehouse, the kidnappers, what she could hear outside the safety of the bathroom.

Finally the sounds of fighting died down. Alex held her breath, her knuckles white around the gun.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Miss Danvers?" called a deep male voice. "Are you in there?"

She didn't recognize the voice, but that didn't mean anything. Kidnappers #6-8 hadn't said a word, at least not while she was conscious.

"I have a gun," Alex said to him.

"Ah," was the reply. "Very careless of your kidnappers, letting you arm yourself. How did you manage that?"

"I punched this guy in the balls until he fell over, then I kicked his head until he went out cold."

The stranger burst out laughing. Something about the way he laughed put Alex at ease. The kidnappers would have mean, spiteful laughs, not laughs like this man. "Quite the spitfire," the man observed, amusement clear in his tone.

Alex realized she was chewing her lip, a habit she was trying to break. "I'm coming out now," she announced. "Try anything funny and I'll shoot."

She pried the door open slowly and carefully, poking out her head and weapon but hiding her body behind the door.

He was huge, even bigger than #5. That was the first thing she noticed, his height. Even sitting cross-legged with his hands in the air, she could tell that he had to be approaching seven feet, and his trenchcoat couldn't entirely conceal the powerful muscles that covered his body. He was clean-shaven, with tanned skin and a strong jawline. His hair, brown with the faintest hint of red, was mostly covered by a fedora, and he had the greenest eyes she'd ever seen.

"Hello, Spitfire," he said softly, and his voice was so gentle that Alex nearly burst into tears then and there. "You're safe now."

Alex swallowed hard. "Did my mom send you?" she asked softly, hopefully—because she knew that her mother wouldn't exchange her knowledge of Kryptonians for Alex's life, because that knowledge might endanger Kara, whom Eliza loved more than she ever had Alex.

"I'm afraid not," he answered, rising to his feet—and _wow_ was he tall. "But I will make sure you get back to her. I promise."

"Okay," Alex whispered.

The adrenaline was wearing off now, replaced by exhaustion. She slumped against the wall as her knees gave way. She was shaking and the world was starting to blur.

The man sat next to her, draping his arm around her skinny shoulders. Shuddering, Alex leaned into him. He was warm and solid and strong, but he was gentle too, pulling her close without making her feel trapped. His free hand lifted a cell phone to his ear. "Hello, police…?"

"Why did you call the ambulance?" she asked once his second call was over.

"You're going into shock," he explained. "I take it you've never been kidnapped before?"

That was what broke the dam and unleashed her tears.

"Shush," he murmured, pulling her closer. "It's going to be okay, Spitfire. I promise." He shrugged out of his coat, wrapped it around her shoulders. Alex hadn't realized how cold she was, but when the warm fabric settled over her body, she realized that not all of her tremors were from residual terror. Shock, probably, she thought.

Her rescuer was talking softly, his words blending together into a soothing murmur. Alex had no idea what he was saying and, to be honest, she didn't particularly care. She just let herself be held and comforted until sirens in the distance heralded the arrival of the police and paramedics, who pulled her to her feet and towards the ambulance.

Alex returned the stranger's coat. Without it, she felt smaller and colder already. "Thank you," she said, trying to put as much gratitude as she could into the inadequate words. "Thank you for everything, Mr. …." That was when she realized, to her absolute mortification, that she didn't know his name.

But he didn't seem to mind. "Jones," he said to her, a faint smile curving his lips. "My name is John Jones."

"Thank you, Mr. Jones."

"You're very welcome, Spitfire."

* * *

Any OOC on Alex's part is due to age and the fact that she's not yet accustomed to being kidnapped every other week.


End file.
